Antony, who will begin his visit on 2 September, will be accompanied by defence secretary Pradeep Kumar, defence adviser Sundaram Krishna and senior army and navy officials.

â€œThe visit is part of Indiaâ€™s â€˜Look East policyâ€™ and a wide range of issues, including defence and bilateral co-operation in research and development for manufacture of military equipment, will figure prominently during the visit,â€ the defence ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The visit comes in the backdrop of reports of a massive Chinese military presence in the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and a recent Pentagon report that details the Chinese build-up. â€œAntony was supposed to visit South Korea later this year but the fact that he is going now, so close after Krishnaâ€™s visit, indicates that there is some urgency in countering Chinaâ€™s military build-up by forging stronger military and strategic ties with South Korea,â€ said Rajaram Panda, senior fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (Idsa). Since May, Antony has visited Oman and Seychelles and is scheduled to visit the US in late September and Vietnam in October as part of a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Panda said India is looking to effectively counter the Chinese â€œstring of pearlsâ€ strategy and Antonyâ€™s visit should be looked at in a larger context. â€œWe could safely say that these are the beginnings of an India-South Korea-Japan axis as a counterpoise to the Pakistan-China-North Korea one,â€ he said. Chinaâ€™s â€œstring of pearlsâ€ strategy is designed to control maritime interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)) by building bases or partnering with countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar in securing sea routes to move cargo and oil.

India and Japan have been holding negotiations toward concluding a civil nuclear deal and analysts point out that India would actively look to pursue a similar deal with South Korea. â€œAlthough chances of an Indo-Japan civil nuclear deal appear bright, Japan does have domestic political issues which could come in the way. In South Koreaâ€™s case, though, there is no such issue,â€ said Panda.

â€œJapan has always been on Indiaâ€™s strategic grid but not South Korea, which, because of its technological prowess, has a potentially large stake in Indiaâ€™s defence market,â€ said defence analyst Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar. â€œThese back-to-back visits and bilateral exchanges are a tacit acknowledgement of that fact.â€

Analysts say India would also seek to tap into South Koreaâ€™s strong capabilities in ship-building technology. â€œSouth Korea has marched ahead of Japan in naval ship-building technology, so it makes sense for India to build synergies with that country, considering the fact that our naval ship-building yards have their hands full,â€ added Bhaskar.

In recent years, India has increased its military, especially maritime, engagement with countries in the IOR.

The Indian Navy has been involved in anti-piracy operations off the Gulf of Aden.

â€œBoth the South Koreans and the Japanese are equally dependent on the IOR as their maritime trade routes run via the IOR. Considering the fact that India is the predominant naval force in the IOR, co-operation with India becomes inevitable,â€ Bhaskar said.

India and South Korea today entered into a five-year defence cooperation accord by signing two memorandums of understandings on sharing of military expertise and technology.

Defence Minister A K Antony and his Korean counterpart Kim Tae-Young signed the two agreements in Seoul during the former's two-day official visit there.

"Heralding a new chapter in the history of defence cooperation, India and South Korea today signed two landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to give a huge boost to the Strategic Partnership between the two countries," Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said in a release from Seoul.

The two MoUs were signed at the end of nearly 90-minute intensive discussions between the delegations of the two countries, he said.

After the signing of the agreements, Antony said New Delhi would be happy to see the defence industry relationship to be "more than a buyer-seller relationship" and its further evolution into Transfer of Technology, joint production and joint Research and Development.

He expressed the hope that his visit would start a new chapter in the already close relationship between the two nations.

Kim, in his address, said the two MoUs would provide a "win-win scenario" for the two countries in a number of areas.

This was the first-ever visit of an India Defence Minister to South Korea.

The first MoU envisaged exchange of defence-related experience and information, mutual exchange and visits by military personnel and experts including civilian staff associated with defence services, military education and training and conduct of military exercises, exchange visits of ships and aircraft, as jointly decided between the two countries, Kar said.

The MoU also provided for cooperation in humanitarian assistance and international peace-keeping activities.

"The MoU will remain valid for a period of five years with provision for its extension by five more years," he said.

after blacklisting all the possible defence manufacturers and causing thousands of crores in losses to the nation and greatly weakening the armed forces why has that man antony now gone to south korea? perhaps to blacklist south korean defence firms as he he is now left with no one else to blacklist.

India and South Korea today entered into a five-year defence cooperation accord by signing two memorandums of understandings on sharing of military expertise and technology.

Defence minister AK Antony and his Korean counterpart Kim Tae-Young signed the two agreements in Seoul during the former's two-day official visit there.

"Heralding a new chapter in the history of defence cooperation, India and South Korea today signed two landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to give a huge boost to the Strategic Partnership between the two countries," Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said in a release from Seoul.

The two MoUs were signed at the end of nearly 90-minute intensive discussions between the delegations of the two countries, he said.

After the signing of the agreements, Antony said New Delhi would be happy to see the defence industry relationship to be "more than a buyer-seller relationship" and its further evolution into Transfer of Technology, joint production and joint Research and Development.

He expressed the hope that his visit would start a new chapter in the already close relationship between the two nations.

Kim, in his address, said the two MoUs would provide a "win-win scenario" for the two countries in a number of areas.

This was the first-ever visit of an India defence minister to South Korea.

The first MoU envisaged exchange of defence-related experience and information, mutual exchange and visits by military personnel and experts including civilian staff associated with defence services, military education and training and conduct of military exercises, exchange visits of ships and aircraft, as jointly decided between the two countries, Kar said.

The MoU also provided for cooperation in humanitarian assistance and international peace-keeping activities.

"The MoU will remain valid for a period of five years with provision for its extension by five more years," he said.

The second MoU was signed by the Chief Controller of Research and Development of DRDO Prahlada and Vice Commissioner of Defence Acquisition and Procurement Agency (DAPA) of South Korea Kwon Oh Bong.

To be operational under the overarching umbrella of India-South Korea Defence Agreement, the MoU aimed at identifying futuristic defence technology areas of mutual interest and pursuing Research and Development works in both the countries.

Co-development and co-production of defence products with Indian industry through DRDO by South Korean industry was part of the understanding.

"There will be joint Intellectual Property Rights on all the products developed through this mechanism. Some areas of immediate interest were marine systems, electronics and intelligence systems and these have been identified as priority tasks," Kar said.

Antony and Kim also discussed a wide range of security issues, both regional and global during their talks.

Antony said India and South Korea shared common perception of maintaining peace as well as ensuring safety and security of sea lanes of communication in the region.

He said regular exchanges towards ensuring maritime security was important to both countries, especially in securing vital energy supplies that pass through the Indian Ocean.

"It is of particular importance for like-minded countries working in the Gulf of Aden to coordinate efforts and also exchange information on the happenings in the area. We look forward to continued and enhanced cooperation between the navies of India and South Korea in this regard," he said.

On the regional security scenario in the Indian sub-continent, Antony said, "We live in a troubled neighbourhood. Some call it a fragile region. We have to maintain balance and restraint even in the face of grave challenges to our security."

He said India's intention was to develop friendly and cooperative relations with all our neighbours so that New Delhi can focus on its major development needs.

Antony said India looked at itself as an integral part of East Asia.

Noting that India was a founding member of East Asia Summit and as such, looked at the emerging architecture in East Asia as "open and inclusive," he said that was why India welcomed the decision of ASEAN Foreign Ministers to move towards the inclusion of the United States and Russia as members of the East Asia Summit.

"We look forward to working closely with South Korea in the emerging architecture in this part of the world," he added.

Earlier in the day, Antony, along with the delegation, visited the National Cemetery in Seoul and laid a wreath there, apart from inspecting, amid light drizzle, a colourful inter-services guard of honour presented by the South Korean Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence headquarter

India, South Korea ink two MOUs to boost defence cooperation
......................
The first MoU envisages an exchange of defence-related experience and information, a mutual exchange of visits by military personnel and experts, including civilian staff associated with the defence services, military education and training and the conduct of military exercises.

It also envisages an exchange of visits of ships and aircraft, as jointly decided between the two countries.
......................There will be joint IPR on all the products developed through this mechanism. Some areas of immediate interest e.g., marine systems, electronics and intelligent systems have been identified as priority tasks.

NEW DELHI: India and South Korea now intend to step up their bilateral defence ties, ranging from cooperation for peace and stability in the Asia- Pacific region to joint defence production in aircraft and warships.

Naval links on S Korea trip agenda
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Antony, who will become the first Defence Minister to visit Seoul, will be looking at increasing exchanges and interaction between the defence forces of the two countries, but is expected to focus on maritime security given the strategic location of the country. India, which has embarked on a rapid modernisation of its naval fleet, is keen to gain expertise from the South, which one of the world leaders in shipbuilding.

India lives in a 'troubled neighbourhood' and has to 'maintain balance and restraint even in the face of grave challenges to our security', Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Friday.

'We live in a troubled neighbourhood. Some call it a fragile region. We have to maintain balance and restraint even in the face of grave challenges to our security,' he said during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Kim Tae-young in Seoul.

'Our intention is to develop friendly and cooperative relations with all our neighbours so that we can focus on our major development needs,' an Indian defence ministry statement quoted him as saying.

India, Antony said, looks at itself as an integral part of East Asia. As a founding member of the East Asia Summit, India looks at the emerging architecture in the region as open and inclusive.

'That is why we welcome the decision of the ASEAN foreign ministers to move towards the inclusion of the United States and Russia as members of the East Asia Summit. We look forward to working closely with South Korea in the emerging architecture in this part of the world,' Antony said.

He noted that India and South Korea share the common perception of maintaining peace as well as ensuring the safety and security of sea lanes of communication in the region. He said regular exchanges towards ensuring maritime security is important to both countries, especially in securing vital energy supplies that pass through the Indian Ocean.

'It is of particular importance for like-minded countries working in the Gulf of Aden to coordinate efforts and also exchange information on the happenings in the area. We look forward to continued and enhanced cooperation between the navies of India and South Korea in this regard,' Antony said.

He hoped that his visit, the first by an Indian defence minister, 'will start a new chapter in our already close relationship'.

Antony said India will be happy to see the relationship of the defence industries of India and South Korea evolving from that of a buyer-seller by spreading to to areas like transfer of technology, joint production and joint R&D.

The 90-minute talks between the two defence ministers covered a wide range of security issues - both regional and global, the defence ministry statement said.

After the talks, India, South Korea signed two landmark MoUs to herald a new chapter in their history of defence cooperation and give a huge boost to their strategic partnership .

The first MoU, signed by Antony and Kim, envisages exchange of defence related experience and information, mutual exchange of visits by military personnel and experts including civilian staff associated with defence services, military education and training and conduct of military exercises, exchange of visits of ships and aircraft, as jointly decided between the two countries, the statement said.

The MoU also envisages cooperation in humanitarian assistance and international peacekeeping activities. The MoU will remain valid for a period of five years and can be extended by five more years.

The second MoU was signed by the Chief Controller of Research and Development of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Prahlada, and the vice commissioner of South Korea's Defence Acquisition and Procurement Agency, Kwon Oh Bong.

To be operational under the overarching umbrella of the India-South Korea Defence Agreement, the MoU aims at identifying futuristic defence technology areas of mutual interest and pursuing R&D works in both countries.

It also envisages co-development and co-production of defence products with Indian industry through the DRDO.

'There will be joint IPR on all the products developed through this mechanism. Some areas of immediate interest like marine systems, electronics and intelligent systems have been identified as priority tasks,' the statement said.

Earlier Friday, Antony and his delegation, that includes Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, drove down to the National Cemetery in Seoul and laid a wreath.

Antony also inspected, amid light drizzle, a traditional colourful inter-services guard of honour presented by the South Korean Armed Forces on arrival at the defence ministry.

Is there a possibility of india also jointly trying to develop next gen fighter with SK? SK is trying to make its own as well and a joint program could benefit both the countries. One area certainly has huge scope and that is ship building particularly because india does not have capacity to fulfill all orders.